Systems and methods for modeling telecommunication switch investments

ABSTRACT

In one of many possible embodiments, a system is provided for modeling telecommunication switch investments. The exemplary system includes a telecommunication switch modeling application configured to determine equipment quantities having capacity to satisfy switch design parameters descriptive of at least one model telecommunication switch, and calculate model investments associated with the equipment quantities. The exemplary system also includes a telecommunication switch investment modeling application configured to weight the model investments in accordance with at least one of a network parameter descriptive of an actual telecommunication switch and a “what-if” input descriptive of a hypothetical telecommunication switch configuration to form weighted investments that are specific to at least one of the actual telecommunication switch and the hypothetical telecommunication switch configuration.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Communication networks facilitate transmission of many types ofcommunication signals between endpoints. In packet-switched networks,for example, equipment such as routers and switches are typically usedto route communication signals over pathways from originating locationstoward target destinations. In circuit-switched networks such asconventional public switched telephone networks (“PSTNs”), switches arecommonly used to form communication circuits over transmission media.The switches then direct communication signals over the circuits towardtarget destinations.

Because of the proliferation and complexity of modem communications,equipment used in many communication networks is sophisticated andexpensive. For example, telecommunications switches deployed in a PSTNare costly and complicated devices. Such switches typically include manyintricate parts configured to support switching functions. Theconfiguration of equipment in a switch largely determines the capacityof the switch for handling communication traffic. For example, thenumber of line termination cards in a switch determines, at least inpart, the maximum number of transmission lines that can be terminated bythe switch.

Telecommunication switches come in a variety of sizes, technologies, andconfigurations. Accordingly, a particular switch may be well-suited fora certain network implementation but ill-suited for another networkimplementation. The design or selection of a switch is largely driven bythe traffic demands to be handled by the switch. In particular, aselected switch should provide sufficient capacity to handle relevanttraffic demands, without providing an overly excessive amount ofcapacity that would waste resources and increase costs. Consequently, atypical communication network usually employs a variety of differentswitches across the network. In a PSTN, for example, the switchesgenerally include host end-office switches, remote switches, tandemswitches, end-office/tandem combination switches, and traffic operatorposition system (“TOPS”) switches.

The complexity of the equipment used in communication networks causesnetwork providers to incur substantial expenses related to the design,implementation, operation, maintenance, and regulatory complianceassociated with network devices, including telecommunication switches.Tools have been developed to assist network providers in estimating theinvestments associated with network devices, particularly theinvestments associated with network switches. The existing tools havebeen particularly designed to help automate techniques used forestimating such investments.

While existing tools have provided some automation to conventionalinvestment estimation techniques, the tools exhibit severalshortcomings. For example, existing switch investment modeling toolsfail to provide component-level quantity and price information to endusers and typically provide only high-level output such as a top-level,total switch investment, or a number of subtotal investment estimatesfor partitioned sections of the switch. The existing tools do notprovide end users with in-depth information showing how investmentestimates are ascertained or how a switch is partitioned according toinvestment categories.

Moreover, existing tools are inflexible because device modelingcomputations typically have to be rerun each time input data is changed.Unfortunately, each computation of output can require substantialprocessing time, even for an adjustment of a single input variable. Inother words, the existing tools are not equipped to perform efficientsensitivity analyses for varied switch design parameters.

Existing tools also require significant man-hours to operate. Inparticular, operators spend many hours organizing vast amounts of inputsthat are required by the existing tools. Moreover, operators of manyexisting tools must sift through large amounts of outputs, many of whichmay not be relevant. Existing tools that have attempted to reduce thenumber of inputs or outputs have suffered a loss of accuracy because inorder to reduce the inputs or outputs, the tools have relied upon lessaccurate averaging techniques for estimating switch investments. Suchtools have turned out to be relatively inaccurate for modeling manydifferent types of network devices. In short, existing tools forestimating switching investments are cumbersome and time consuming tooperate, or often provide outputs that are irrelevant, inaccurate, ordifficult to decipher.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments and are a partof the specification. The illustrated embodiments are merely examplesand do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Throughout the drawings,identical reference numbers designate identical or similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of aswitch investment modeling system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary switch investment modelingsystem, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary user interfaceprovided by the switch investment modeling system of FIG. 2, accordingto one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 1. Overview

Preferred embodiments according to the present invention may beimplemented as systems and methods for modeling one or morecommunications network switching devices (e.g., a router or atelecommunication switch) and for estimating one or more investmentsassociated with the model device(s). Investments and equipmentquantities for model network devices can be provided as component-leveloutput for consideration by a user. The investments may be used fordetermining cost-effective network design solutions. The calculatedinvestments may also be used in governmental regulatory proceedings tointuitively and accurately justify costs associated with networkdevices. In addition, among other uses, the investments may beassociated with specific network device functions and used to helpdetermine costs of services provided by the networks in accordance withthe amount of network resources used by specific network devicefunctions.

Investments and equipment associated with foundational representativemodel switches can be easily adjusted for sensitivity analyses based onactual switch characteristics and/or hypothetical design parameters,without having to re-generate the equipment or the investmentcalculations for the foundational model switches each time a switchparameter is adjusted. The representative model offices can be usedrepeatedly as a foundation for computation of jurisdiction-specificinvestments or for hypothetical network configurations, thereby savingresources by not having to start calculations from scratch for eachvariation of inputs.

As used herein, the terms “communications network switching device” and“telecommunication switch” are meant to be understood broadly asincluding any device used for directing (e.g., routing and/or switching)communication signals over a communications network. The communicationsnetwork may be any form or type of network capable of carryingcommunications signals, including, but not limited to, packet-switchednetworks such as Internet Protocol based networks and circuit-switchednetworks such as traditional PSTNs, for example. Communication signalsmay be in any form capable of being carried on the network. For example,communication signals may include, but are not limited to, known signalsused for PSTN communications, data communications, and voice overinternet protocol (“VOIP”) communications.

An implementation of an exemplary system, as well as exemplary processesperformed by the system, will now be described in detail. A listing ofthe meanings of many of the acronyms used herein is provided in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Acronym Definitions AIU Access Interface Unit AMA AutomaticMessage Accounting BRI Basic Rate Interface BHAR Busy Hour to AnnualRatio CCS Centum (100) Call Seconds CLLI Common Language LocationIdentifier DLC Digital Loop Carrier DS1 Digital Signal Level 1 DMSDigital Multiplex System GR303 Telcordia Generic Requirements for #303for next generation DLC transmission between a switch and an end user,where several DS1 groups are consolidated GTD-5 General TelephoneDigital Class Five, a digital switch technology supported by LucentTechnologies ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network NCTANon-Conversation Time Adjustment 5ESS Number Five Electronic SwitchingSystem POTS Plain Old Telephone Service PRI Primary Rate Interface PSTNPublic Switched Telephone Network SS7 Signaling System Seven SONETSynchronous Optical Network STS Synchronous Transport Signal TOPSTraffic Operator Position System TR008 Telcordia Technical Requirements#008 for DLC transmissions using individual T1 terminations directlyinto the switch. VoIP Voice Over Internet Protocol

II. Exemplary Implementation

In many embodiments, the system is implemented in one or more computers.The system may include any computer hardware and/or instructions (e.g.,software programs), or combinations of software and hardware, helpfulfor the performance of the switch investment modeling processesdescribed herein. In particular, it should be understood that the systemmay be implemented on one physical computing device or may beimplemented on more than one physical computing device. Accordingly, thesystem may include any one of a number of computing devices known tothose skilled in the art, and may employ any of a number of computeroperating systems known to those skilled in the art, including, but byno means limited to, known versions and/or varieties of the MicrosoftWindows® operating system, the Unix operating system, and the Linuxoperating system.

Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that the variousprocesses described herein may be implemented at least in part asinstructions executable by one or more computing devices. In general, aprocessor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from amemory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes thoseinstructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one ormore of the processes described herein. Such instructions may be storedand transmitted using a variety of known computer-readable media.

A computer-readable medium (also referred to as a processor-readablemedium) includes any medium that participates in providing data (e.g.,instructions) that may be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of acomputer). Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limitedto, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disksand other persistent memory. Volatile media may include, for example,dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), which typically constitutes amain memory. Transmission media may include, for example, coaxialcables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprisea system bus coupled to a processor of a computer. Transmission mediamay include or convey acoustic waves, light waves, and electromagneticemissions, such as those generated during radio frequency (“RF”) andinfrared (“IR”) data communications. Common forms of computer-readablemedia include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any otheroptical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium withpatterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any othermemory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer canread.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplaryimplementation 100 of an embodiment of the exemplary system describedherein. As shown in FIG. 1, the implementation 100 may include acomputer 110 configured to communicate with a data store 120 and anaccess device 130. The communications can be made using any known typeof communication media and protocols, including the Internet andprotocols associated therewith. The computer 110 may provide the accessdevice 130 with information useful for presenting a user interface 140for consideration by a user 150. The user 150 may use the access device130 and the interface 140 to interact with the computer 110. Each of theelements shown in FIG. 1 will now be described in greater detail.

A. User

The user 150 is typically a human being that can utilize the accessdevice 130 to input information to and/or consider output from thecomputer 110. However, the user 150 may be another living organism, anautomated agent, or some form of intelligence technology that isconfigured to provide input to the computer 110. Typically, the user 150is in physical proximity to the access device 130. The user 150 mayrefer to one or more service provider (e.g., carrier) personnel, networkdesigners, switch engineers, costs analysts, regulatory personnel,compliance personnel, interveners, and others associated with thedesign, operation, manufacture, maintenance, or compliance relating tonetwork switching devices.

B. Access Device

The access device 130 can include any device or devices physicallyaccessible to the user 150 or that otherwise allow the user 150 toprovide input to, receive information from, or access the computer 110.The access device 130 may include but is not limited to one or moredesktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal dataassistants, cellular telephones, satellite pagers, wireless internetdevices, embedded computers, video phones, mainframe computers,mini-computers, workstations, network interface cards, programmablelogic devices, entertainment devices, gaming devices, client devices,and other future devices that may not yet currently exist. The accessdevice 130 may include various peripherals such as a terminal, keyboard,mouse, screen, printer, stylus, input device, output device, or anyother apparatus that can help relay information between the user 150 andthe computer 110. The access device 130 may be configured to present theuser interface 140 for consideration and/or use by the user 150.

The access device 130 may be located proximate or remote to the computer110. The access device 130 and the computer 110 may communicate usingany known media and protocols. In some embodiments, the access device130 comprises a client device configured to communicate with thecomputer 110 over a network (e.g., the Internet). In other embodiments,the access device 130 comprises peripheral devices connected to thecomputer 110.

While FIG. 1 shows only one access device 130, this is for purposes ofillustration and not intended to be limiting. Other embodiments mayinclude multiple access devices 130 in communication with the computer110.

C. User Interface

The user interface 140 may be utilized by the user 150 to access thecomputer 110 via the access device 130. For example, the user Interface140 may be used to initiate and/or interpret communications with thecomputer 110. Accordingly, the user interface 140 may include mechanismsfor prompting for and receiving input from the user 150. For example,the user interface 140 may include tabs or other visual indicators thatare selectable by the user 150. The selection of the tabs may initiatepredefined macros or execution of other processes associated withmodeling switch investments. The user 150 may also use the userinterface 140 to modify inputs, as discussed below.

In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 140 comprises a graphicaluser interface (“GUI”) capable of displaying data representative ofswitch modeling processes and information, as well as inputs and outputsassociated with the switch modeling processes and information. The GUImay be associated with a software program operating on the computer 110.In some embodiments, the user interface 140 comprises a web formimplemented using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). However, the userinterface 140 is not limited to a web form embodiment and can includemany different types of user interfaces 140 capable of presenting datato and/or receiving input from the user 150.

While FIG. 1 shows only one user interface 140, this is for purposes ofillustration and not intended to be limiting. Typically, multiple userinterfaces 140 may be provided through the access device 130.

D. Data Store

The data store 120 may comprise one or more storage mediums, devices, orconfigurations, including databases. The data store 120 may employ anytype, form, and combination of storage media known to those skilled inthe art, including hard disk drives, read-only memory, and random accessmemory. The data store 120 may include any known technologies useful forstoring and accessing information. The data store 120 may be integratedwith or external of the computer 110. The computer 110 and the datastore 120 may communicate using any known media and protocols. In someembodiments, the data store 120 comprises one or more databases.

The data store 120 may be configured to store predefined data, as wellas information received from the access device 130. In particular, thedata store 120 may store predefined modeling heuristics for processinginputs to model network switch device investments. An exemplarypredefined modeling heuristic will be described further below.

E. Computer

The computer 110 can include any device or combination of devices thatallows the processing of the system to be performed. The computer 110may be one or more general purpose computers capable of running a widevariety of different software applications or one or more specializeddevices limited to particular functions. In some embodiments, thecomputer 110 is the same device as the access device 130. In otherembodiments, the computer 110 is a network of computing devices accessedby the access device 130. The computer 110 may include any type, number,form, or configuration of processors, memory, computer-readable mediums,peripheral devices, computing devices, and operating systems. Thecomputer may also include bio-computers or other intelligent device(e.g., artificially intelligent device). In some embodiments, thecomputer 110 is in the form of one or more servers (e.g., web servers),and the access device 130 is a client device accessing the servers.

The computer 110 is capable of executing steps for performing thefunctionality of exemplary system 200 (described further below),including generating and controlling the user interface 140 andinteractions of the user interface 140 with the user 150. In particular,the computer 110 can generate and present data representative of switchmodels and associated investments to the user 150 by way of the userinterface 140. Further, the computer 110 is able to process inputreceived from the user 150 by way of the user interface 140.

While an exemplary implementation 100 of an embodiment of the system isshown in FIG. 1, those skilled in the art will recognize that theexemplary components illustrated in the Figure are not intended to belimiting. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize that otheralternative hardware environments and implementations may be used.

III. Exemplary System View

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a switch Investmentmodeling system 200 (also referred to simply as “the system 200”) thatmay be implemented to run on the computer 110 of FIG. 1, according to anexemplary embodiment. The system 200 may be implemented ascomputer-readable instructions (e.g., a standalone software applicationor group of software applications) configured to run on the computer 110and stored in a location accessible by computer 110 (i.e., internal tocomputer 110 or externally accessible to computer 110).

As shown in FIG. 2, the system 200 may include a switch modelingapplication 210 and an investment modeling application 220. The switchmodeling application 210 may accept switch design parameters 224 and oneor more predefined master parts lists 230 as inputs. The switch modelingapplication 210 may be configured to process the inputs in accordancewith predefined modeling heuristics 234 to calculate equipmentquantities 238, model investments 239 and 240, and demand outputs 244,each of which will be described in detail below.

The model investments 240 and demand outputs 244 may be provided asinputs to the investment modeling application 220, as shown in FIG. 2.The investment modeling application 220 may also receive and use“what-if” inputs 270 and/or network parameters 280 as additional inputs.From the demand outputs 244, model investments 240, network parameters280, and “what-if” inputs 270, the investment modeling application 220is able to calculate total and unit forward-looking investments that maybe weighted by the network parameters 280 and/or the “what-if” inputs270, as described below. In FIG. 2, the outputs of the investmentmodeling application 220 are represented as weighted investments 284 andweighted demands 288. However, the weighted investments 284 and weighteddemands 288 may include non-weighted data such as sums of the demandoutputs 244 and/or the model investments 240. Each of the items shown inFIG. 2 will now be described in detail.

A. Switch Design Parameters

The switch design parameters 224 may be defined by the user 150 todescribe one or more model switches representative of actual switchingdevices deployed in or designed for use in one or more communicationnetworks. The switch design parameters 224 may include any parametersassociated with actual or estimated switch characteristics (e.g., switchsizes) or network traffic characteristics, including any parameters thatmay influence costs associated with a switch. The switch designparameters 224 can include, but are not limited to, switch technologies,switch applications or types, processor types, line quantities, linetechnologies, trunk quantities, trunk technologies, average busy hourusage, and other identifiers descriptive of a telecommunications switch.

Switch vendor parameters may identify any vendor of telecommunicationswitches or components, including Lucent and Nortel, for example. Switchtechnology parameters may include any description of technology used inswitches, such as 5ESS, GTD-5, and DMS, which are known to those skilledIn the art. Switch application or type parameters may describe any typeof telecommunication switch, including standalone and host end office,remote office, tandem office, and TOPS switches. Line quantityparameters may specify the number of lines associated with a switch andmay be separated by line type, such as POTS, Coin, and BRI lines, forexample. Line technology parameters may specify any technology used innetwork lines, including analog and digital (e.g., TR008 and GR303)lines, for example. Trunk quantity parameters may indicate the number oftrunks associated with a switch, and may be divided by trunk type, suchas interoffice, host-remote umbilical, and ISDN PRI trunks, for example.Trunk technology parameters may specify any technology used In networktrunking, including, but not limited to, DS1 and SONET. Average busyhour usage parameters may specify the average usage for lines and trunksduring the busy hour of a twenty-four hour cycle within the average busyseason. The average busy hour usage may be divided by line type or bytrunk type and may be described in terms of CCS, as known to thoseskilled in the art.

The switch design parameters 224 may include any additional informationdescriptive of telecommunication switch designs. For example, the switchdesign parameters 224 may include a remote terminal concentration ratiofor GR303 lines, which ratio may represent the number of analog loopsentering a remote switch to the number of digital channels leaving theremote terminal.

In one embodiment, the switch design parameters 224 include informationdescriptive of the number of installed POTS lines, the busy hour CCS perPOTS line, the number of installed GR303 lines, the busy hour CCS perGR303 line, the remote terminal concentration ratio for GR303 lines, thenumber of installed TR008 lines, the busy hour CCS per TR008 line, thenumber of installed Coin lines, the busy hour CCS per Coin line, thenumber of installed BRI integrated services digital network (“ISDN”)lines, the busy hour CCS per BRI ISDN line, the number of InstalledGR303 lines, the busy hour CCS per GR303 line, the number of PRI ISDNtrunk terminations, and the number of local trunk terminations.

The switch design parameters 224 may be in the form of an input tableincluded in one or more input files, in any suitable form, that may beloaded into the switch modeling application. In many embodiments, theinput file is in the form of a comma separated value file (“.csv file”),which is known to those skilled in the art.

As mentioned above, the switch design parameters 224 may define one ormore representative model switches. Accordingly, the switch designparameters 224 may be predefined to include parameters descriptive ofany model switch. A set of representative model switches may be definedas the group of model switches that are describable by different valuecombinations of the switch design parameters 224.

Typically, the switch design parameters 224 describe a set ofrepresentative model switches that have been determined to represent oneor more sets of actual telecommunications switches. Instead of having toinput parameters for every telecommunications switch in an actualnetwork, the user 150 can identify a set of model switches that can beconfigured to represent all of the actual switches. This can be doneusing ranges of switch parameters. In an actual network, switches havedifferent numbers of line terminations, for example. A model switch canbe defined to cover a range of line termination quantities. By way ofexample, a model switch may be defined to cover line terminations in therange of five thousand (5,000) lines to fifteen thousand (15,000) lines.The model switch can then be used to represent any switch having anumber of line terminations within this range. The use of a set of modelswitches generally reduces the number of inputs needed to define theswitches. The model switches can be defined independently of anyjurisdiction-specific characteristics.

By using select switch design parameters 224 as inputs, the switchmodeling application 210 has capabilities to generate investment andequipment outputs from a minimal set of inputs. In many embodiments, theswitch modeling application 210 is configured to generate investment andequipment outputs from inputs of no more than approximately forty switchdesign parameters 224. In contrast, many prior art tools requirehundreds of inputs descriptive of a multitude of characteristics ofactual switches. However, the system 200 does not sacrifice accuracy forsimplicity. Validation tests have frequently shown the system 200 toproduce accurate results that are generally within one percent (1%) ofvendor investment estimates.

B. Master Parts List

The master parts list 230 may be predefined and may include one or morelists of switch components that may be used in network switchingdevices. The master parts list 230 can be vendor-specific, technologyspecific, or divided according to some other parameter. The master partslist 230 may include prices associated the switch components containedtherein. For example, POTS line frames for different switch vendorsand/or technologies may be listed in the master parts lists 230, alongwith their corresponding prices (e.g., list, retail, wholesale, and/orcontracted prices). The prices typically identify costs associated withprocuring switch components from a vendor. The prices may be obtainedfrom vendors or other suitable sources and stored in the master partslist 230.

As described below, the data in the master parts list 230 can beaccessible to the switch modeling application 210, which may use themaster parts list 230 to calculate the model investments 239 associatedwith the equipment quantities 238. In particular, the determinedquantity of a component may be multiplied by the relevant pricecontained in the master parts list 230 to determine the correspondingmaterial investment.

C. Switch Modeling Application

The switch modeling application 210 may be configured to accept, orotherwise access and use, the switch design parameters 224 and themaster parts list 230 as inputs. The switch modeling application 210 isable to execute predefined modeling heuristics 234 to determineequipment quantities 238 that provide sufficient capacity to satisfy theswitch design parameters 224. The predefined modeling heuristics 234comprise computer-readable logics executable by the computer 110 tocalculate equipment quantities 238. The predefined modeling heuristics234 may be configured to implement a capacity modeling approach, whichidentifies appropriate capacities to satisfy the switch designparameters 224 and then selects appropriate quantities of switchcomponents that provide the appropriate capacities. The capacity ofswitch components may be defined by utilization rates (e.g., port orprocessor utilization rate), busy hour CCS, or any other useful measureof the capacity of a switch component. An exemplary capacity-basedmodeling heuristic 234 is shown in Table 2 and will now be described indetail.

TABLE 2 Exemplary Predefined Modeling Heuristic POTS_PACKS = ROUNDUP(LINE_INST_POTS/32) IF HOST_REM = H and 107 <= (POTS_PACKS) <= 112  thenAIU66a = 1  else AIU66A = ROUNDDOWN (LINE_INST_POTS)/(112 * 32))

1. Exemplary Predefined Modeling Heuristic

By way of example, Table 2 lists an exemplary predefined modelingheuristic 234 for determining the number of access interface units(“AIUs”) (also referred to as “frames”) that will provide sufficientcapacity for a model switch defined by the switch design parameters 224.For purposes of illustration, the predefined modeling heuristic 234 ofTable 2 is listed in pseudo code. As known to those skilled in the art,AIUs may be used to terminate POTS lines in switches. A typical POTScard may have a capacity of thirty-two POTS lines, and a typical AIU mayhave a capacity of one hundred and twelve POTS cards. The predefinedmodeling heuristic 234 of Table 2 takes the number of POTS lines definedin the switch design parameters 224 and divides the number bythirty-two. The result is rounded up to determine the number of POTScards that will provide sufficient capacity to terminate the number ofPOTS lines specified in the switch design parameters 224. Next, thepredefined modeling heuristic 234 determines from the switch designparameters 224 whether the specified switch type is a host switch. If ahost switch is specified in the switch design parameters 224, thepredefined modeling heuristic 234 determines whether the number of POTScards is at least as great as a minimum predetermined threshold and nomore than a maximum predetermined threshold. In the predefined modelingheuristic 234 of Table 2, the minimum threshold is one hundred and sevenPOTS cards, and the maximum threshold is one hundred and eleven POTScards. If the computed number of POTS cards is within the range definedby the minimum and maximum thresholds, one AIU will be identified forfull population. Thus, the predefined modeling heuristic 234 of Table 2is designed to provide a fully-populated POTS frame when the number ofPOTS line cards is within a predetermined number of the capacity of thePOTS line frame. The predetermined number may be defined based on a costthreshold at which a fully-populated POTS frame becomes less expensiveto implement than would using individual parts to build a virtually fullframe.

On the other hand, if the above conditions are not satisfied (e.g., thenumber of POTS line cards is not within the predetermined range, thepredefined modeling heuristic 234 will calculate the number of AIUsbased on the number of POTS lines specified in the switch designparameters 224. As shown in Table 2, the number of POTS lines is dividedby the product of thirty-two and one hundred twelve. The quotient isrounded down to determine the number of AIUs that will provide asufficient number of terminations for the number of POTS lines specifiedin the switch design parameters 224.

The predefined modeling heuristic 234 of Table 2 is illustrative ofother predefined modeling heuristics 234 for calculating quantities ofother switch components, which quantities may also be determined basedon component capacity. The predefined modeling heuristic 234 of Table 2and the other predefined modeling heuristics 234 are preferably designedin accordance with vendor engineering practices. In other words, thecapacities of vendor components are designed into the predefinedmodeling heuristics 234 and used to determine the quantities of switchcomponents that provide sufficient capacity to satisfy the switch designparameters 224. The predefined modeling heuristics 234 may be specificto switch types and/or switch technologies. For example, the predefinedmodeling heuristics 234 may include specific heuristics for 5ESSswitches, GTD-5 switches, and/or DMS switches. The vendor-basedcomponent-capacity modeling approach of the predefined modelingheuristics 234 provides accuracy and compatibility between the modelingof switch investments and the actual investments for implementing actualswitches.

D. Equipment Quantities

The switch modeling application 210 may be configured to apply thepredefined modeling heuristics 234 to the switch design parameters 224to determine equipment quantities 238 at a hardware component level. Forexample, the switch modeling application 210 may calculate, among otherswitch hardware components, the number of line cards, line card shelves,and line frames that provide sufficient capacity to support the numberof lines specified in the switch design parameters 224. The equipmentquantities 238 may be in any suitable form, including lists of switchcomponents along with their corresponding quantities as determined bythe switch modeling application 210.

Examples of switch components that may be included in the equipmentsquantities 238 include, but are not limited to, announcement cards,audible alarm panels, electromagnetic compatibility kits, accessinterface unit cabinets, peripheral interface data buses, automatic lineinsulation test circuit pack spares, administrative modules, automaticmessage accounting components, digital audio tape unit spares, analogtrunk spare circuit packs, announcement units, analog test trunk spares,cabling and framework components, message switch circuit pack spares,optical paddle board spares, network clock oscillator spares, timemultiplex switch foundation circuit pack spares, time multiplexexpansion circuit pack spares, minimum communications moduleconfigurations, full communications module configurations,communications module optical paddle boards, time multiplex expansioncircuit packs, color video terminals and printers, trunk and lineworkstations, common data and control cards, directly connected testunits, electromagnetic compatibility kits, line and trunk peripheral fanunit cabinets, additional equipment for directly connected test units,directly connected test unit spares, digital facilities interface modelpacks, digital line trunk units, digital network unit spares, datasetcabinets, digital service circuit model circuit packs and spares,digital service unit shelves, alarm status units, pilot lamp assemblies,small computer serial interface disk spares, non-vendor supplied testequipment, integrated digital carrier units, peripheral interface databus groups, integrated digital carrier unit spares, memory circuitpacks, BRI line packs, Coin line packs, POTS line packs, local test desktrunks, automatic line insulation test circuit packs, master controlcenters, modular metallic service unit control circuit packs, modularmetallic service unit distribution circuit packs, digital service unitshelves, metallic line test units, modular metallic service unitmetallic access circuit packs, modular metallic service unit shelves,modular metallic service unit spares, metallic test interface buscircuit packs, miscellaneous cabinets, modular metallic service unitscan point circuit packs, modular metallic service unit test accesscircuit spares, modular metallic service unit test access circuit packs,spare network link interface boards, office alarm units, optical carrierlevel 3 interface spares, protocol handlers and spares, data fan-outspares, packet switch unit shelves, packet switch unit data fan-outpairs, packet switch unit spares, multiple peripheral interface data busdata fan-out pairs and spares, remote control units, remote control unitmodems, remote control unit terminal block assemblies, recent changeterminals and printers, remote maintenance units and terminal blockassemblies, clock components, flash cards, service announcement systemadvanced services platforms, service announcement system advancedservices platform standard flash card spares, service announcementsystem base platforms, service announcement system business andresidence custom services platforms and standard flash card spares,service announcement system spares, processor spares, switch modulecontrol cabinet assemblies and packs, memory circuit packs, SONET groupdigital network units, additional synchronous transport signal level 1link equipment, digital service circuit packs for 3-way calling,switching module link and trunk peripheral cabinet assemblies, switchingmodule processor time slot interface units and spares, switching moduleprocessor units and message handlers, digital line trunk unit circuitsand spares, test access unit consoles, test bus control units andcircuit packs, network control and timing link interfaces and spares,traffic and office record printers, transmission control units andspares, time slot interface unit pairs, trunk units, analog trunk unitspares, administrative module spares, analog multi-meters, auxiliaryresistor networks, auxiliary resistor boards, spare common data andcontrol card packs, spare integrated services digital network linkpacks, spare Coin line packs, spare analog line packs, spare ringgenerator packs, text bus control unit plug-in spares and any othercomponent known to be used as part of or as support fortelecommunications switch.

E. Component-Level Model Investments

The switch modeling application 210 may be configured to use thedetermined equipment quantities 238 to calculate associatedcomponent-level model investments 239. Calculations of thecomponent-level model investments 239 may be performed by multiplyingthe equipment quantities 238 by corresponding prices contained in themaster parts list 230. By calculating component-level model investments239, the switch modeling application 210 is able to provide the user 150with fine-detail investment outputs at a hardware component level, aswell as outputs at higher levels of detail. For example, thecomponent-level investments 239 may be used to calculate total modelinvestments for predefined categories, which are represented by thecategory-level model investments 240 of FIG. 2.

F. Category-Level Model Investments

Category-level model investments 240 may be calculated by summing thecomponent-level model investments 239 associated with the componentsassigned to a predefined category. Component-level model investments 239may be subdivided into separate categories prior to summing intocategory-level model investments 240. The predefined modeling heuristic234 may include instructions as to how to divide component-level modelinvestments 239 into categories. For example, an investment for aparticular type of access interface unit (“AIU”) may be divided intocategories by allocating predefined percentages of the investment toselect categories, such as POTS line termination and CCS linetermination categories.

Categories may be established to coincide with switch hardware functionsto allow for determination of switching investments for specificproducts and services, based on the amount of switch resources used forthe products and services. Examples of predefined categories caninclude, but are in no way limited to, line terminations (e.g., POTS,Coin, BRI, TR008, and GR303 line terminations), trunk terminations(e.g., PRI, local, remote umbilical, and signaling system seven (“SS7”)link terminations), trunk CCS, line CCS, central and peripheralprocessors, multi-port conference circuits, automatic message accounting(“AMA”) equipment, common equipment, vendor test equipment, other testequipment, cable and framework components, spares, and featurecomponents. The categories may be technology or type specific. By way ofexample, a category may be defined for POTS line terminations, and allcomponent-level model investments 239 associated with POTS lineterminations can be summed to calculate a category-level modelinvestment 240 associated with POTS line terminations.

Category-level model investments 240 can be used to tie costs ofservices and products to specific switching hardware resources.Consequently, the investments associated with hardware resources can befactored into the price of services and products in a manner that doesnot penalize users of other services and products that may not utilizethe same switching hardware. The category-level model investments 240may comprise one or more comma-separated value (“.csv”) or Excelspreadsheet (“.xls”) files.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, component-level modelinvestments 239 and/or equipment quantities 238 may be used as input tothe investment modeling application 220. Although not shown in FIG. 2,component-level model investments 239 or category-level modelinvestments 240 may be summed to calculate total switch investments fora set of one or more model switches.

G. Model Demands

The switch modeling application 210 may be further configured todetermine demand outputs 244, which include both the actual demands ofthe model offices and switch capacities based on calculated equipmentquantities 238. For example, the demand outputs 244 may specifycapacities such as a maximum number of POTS lines or a maximum number ofother demand units using any other hardware component(s). The demandoutputs 244 may also describe capacities for network traffic, whichtypically describe maximum traffic loads supported by hardwarecomponents of representative switches. The demand outputs 244 may bedetermined based on the switch design parameters 224, the equipmentquantities 238, and/or the predefined modeling heuristics 234. Thepredefined modeling heuristics 234 typically include logic foridentifying capacities of the hardware components identified in theequipment quantities 238. For example, the predefined heuristics 234 maydefine the number of POTS lines supported in a single frame hardwarecomponent.

The demand outputs 244 may comprise categories of capacities based ongrouped network hardware. The categories may or may not coincide withthe categories included in the category-level model investments 240. Thecategories of demand outputs 244 may be divided by technology, function,type, or any other suitable characteristic. Examples of demand outputs244 may include, but are not limited to, processor capacity, processorperipheral capacity, number of SS7 links, AMA capacity, number ofinstalled POTS lines, capacity for POTS lines, unit-level CCS forinstalled POTS lines, total CCS for installed POTS lines, number ofinstalled GR303 lines, capacity for GR303 lines, unit-level CCS forinstalled GR303 lines, total CCS for installed GR303 lines, number ofinstalled TR008 lines, capacity for TR008 lines, unit-level CCS forinstalled TR008 lines, total CCS for installed TR008 lines, number ofinstalled PRI trunks, capacity for PRI trunks, number of installed localtrunks, and capacity for local trunks. The demand outputs 244 mayinclude any other information descriptive of hardware capacities ofhardware components or traffic capacities supported by the hardwarecomponents for a set of one or more model switches. The demand outputs244 may include any parameter specified in the switch design parameters224.

As with other outputs from the switch modeling application 210, thedemand outputs 244 may be in any suitable form, including one or morecomma separated value files (“.csv files”). Information in the files maybe organized by common language location identifier (“CLLI”) codes,which are commonly used in the art to identify switch offices, or bysome other identifier of telecommunication switches under study. Inputsinto the switch modeling application 210 may also be in any suitableform, including comma separated value files, and may also be organizedby CLLI codes or other switch or office identifier.

As described above, the switch modeling application 210 is able togenerate equipment quantities 238, component-level investments 239,category-level investments 240, total switch investments (not shown ifFIG. 2), and demand outputs 244 that are descriptive of one or moremodel switches described by switch design parameters 224. The outputsfrom the switch modeling application 210 may be provided to the user 150and facilitate convenient and intuitive analysis by the user 150. Forexample, the user 150 can pinpoint, at a component level, theinvestments associated with specific hardware components. This allowsthe user 150 to trace investment costs to specific vendor component andprices.

As shown in FIG. 2, the category-level model investments 240 and thedemand outputs 244 may be provided as inputs to the investment modelingapplication 220, which can aggregate the inputs into total and unitinvestments and demands and generate weighted investments and demands,as described below. The demand outputs 244 and the model investments 240may be put into any form suitable for inputs to the investment modelingapplication 220. In one embodiment, for example, the demand outputs 244and the model investments 240 may be combined in one or more files,which may be in the form of one or more spreadsheet files that areelectronically linked to the investment modeling application 220.

The investment modeling application 220 may be further configured toaccept and use additional inputs descriptive of actual or hypotheticaltelecommunication switch configurations and deployments to weight thedemand outputs 244 and/or the model investments 240. For example, thenetwork parameters 280, which generally include parameters of actualtelecommunication switch networks, can be applied to the demand outputs244 and the model investments 240 to generate weighted demands 288 andweighted investments 284, as discussed below. The investment modelingapplication 220 may also receive and apply “what-if” inputs 270, whichgenerally include inputs descriptive of hypothetical configurations oftelecommunication switch networks, to adjust other inputs to theinvestment modeling application 220 to perform sensitivity analyses forvaried input values, as discussed below.

H. Network Parameters

The network parameters 280 may include any information (e.g.,engineering data) descriptive of actual configurations and distributionsof deployed or designed networks and the switching devices used therein.The network parameters 280 may be specific to particular communicationnetworks or geographical areas of particular networks. For example,actual telecommunication networks often differ by jurisdiction or bytype of technologies used in the networks. Accordingly, the networkparameters 280 may describe characteristics of actual communicationnetworks that are specific to a jurisdiction (e.g., agovernmentally-defined state or territory), geographical area, ortechnology. In many embodiments, the network parameters 280 comprisestate-specific characteristics of actual telecommunication networks andthe switching devices deployed therein. Preferably, the networkparameters 280 include up-to-date information descriptive ofcharacteristics of an actual switching network for an area orjurisdiction under study.

The network parameters 280 may include, but are not limited to, switchidentifiers (e.g., Gals), switch vendors (e.g., Lucent and Nortel),switch technology (e.g., 5ESS, GTD-5, and DMS), switch application ortype (e.g., host end office, remote, tandem, TOPS switches) line size byline type (e.g., the number of POTS, Coin, and BRI lines), trunk size bytrunk type (e.g., the number of interoffice, host-remote umbilical, andPRI trunks), average busy hour usage of lines and trunks, and averagenumber of busy hour calls on lines and trunks. Other embodiments mayinclude additional, fewer, and/or different combinations of actualnetwork and telecommunication switch characteristics. The networkparameters 280 may also include information useful for calculating anon-conversation time adjustment (“NCTA”) factor and a busy hour toannual ratio (“BHAR”), which terms are well known to those skilled inthe art.

The network parameters 280 may be in any form suitable for input to theinvestment modeling application 220. In one embodiment, for example, thenetwork parameters 280 are in the form of a spreadsheet file (e.g., a“.xls” file). The file may be electronically linked to the investmentmodeling application 220 such that the contents of the file may beaccessed and used by the investment modeling application 220.

The investment modeling application 220 may be configured to use thenetwork parameters 280 in a number of different ways, including applyingthe network parameters 280 to the demand outputs 244 and the modelinvestments 240 to generate the weighted demands 288 and the weightedinvestments 284, as described below. Application of the networkparameters 280 to the demand outputs 244 and the model investments 240allows the model switches generated by the switch modeling application210 to be tailored to different communication networks, includingstate-specific networks, without having to generate new model switchesin the switch modeling application 210 for each different communicationnetwork. In other words, the representative model offices generated bythe switch modeling application 210 can be repeatedly used by theinvestment modeling application 220 as a foundation for study ofinvestments for many different telecommunication networks, includingnetworks having different technologies and jurisdictionalcharacteristics. By way of a simple example, an exemplary representativemodel switch may be described as a ten thousand (10,000) line switch andcover a range of line quantities from five thousand (5,000) to fifteenthousand (15,000) lines. The investment modeling application 220 canadjust the ten thousand (10,000) line representative model switch inaccordance with an actual number of lines (e.g., eleven thousand twohundred (11,200) lines) of an actual switch in a jurisdiction understudy. The same ten thousand (10,000) line representative model switchmay be reused and weighted for a different number of actual lines inanother telecommunication network. Thus, the calculation of equipmentquantities 238 and associated investments does not have to be completelyrecalculated from scratch for each different configuration or adjustmentof telecommunication networks because the representative model switchesare designed to be used as foundations that can be weighted for specificnetwork configurations.

I. “What-If” Inputs

The “what-if” inputs 270 can also be used to adjust or weight therepresentative model switches described in the demand outputs 244 andthe model investments 240. While the network parameters 280 aregenerally descriptive of actual telecommunication network or switchcharacteristics, the “what-if” inputs 270 are generally used to describehypothetical telecommunication switch or network characteristics. The“what-if” inputs 270 may be used by the investment modeling application220 to adjust, override, supplement, and/or redact other inputs to theinvestment modeling application 220, including any of the informationcontained in the demand outputs 244, the model investments 240, and thenetwork parameters 280. In one embodiment, the “what-if” inputs 270 areconfigured for adjusting any one or more of the following inputs to theinvestment modeling application 220: line technology splits (e.g.,percentages of analog, TR008, and GR303 lines); trunk technology splits(e.g., percentages of STS and DS1 trunks); line and trunk fill factors(described further below); BHAR and NCTA settings; processor andprocessor peripheral utilizations by office type (e.g., end, tandem, andTOPS offices) and switch technology; switching network characteristicssuch as number and types of host, remote, tandem, and TOPS offices;switching network characteristics such as number of lines of eachswitch, line CCS of each switch, number of trunks of each switch, trunkCCS of each switch, number of BRI lines of each switch, number of PRIlines of each switch, number of umbilical lines of each switch, andumbilical line CCS of each switch; select undiscounted investments byswitch technology; and discounts for component categories by switchtechnology.

The weighted demands 288 and the weighted outputs 284 may be calculatedby applying the “what-if” inputs 270 to the model investments 240 and/orthe demand outputs 244. Accordingly, the “what-if” inputs 270 providethe user 150 with a capability to adjust inputs for hypothetical switchand network configurations and to perform sensitivity analyses forvariations to the representative model switches generated by the switchmodeling application 210. This allows the user 150 to determineinvestment costs for many variations of switching components. Forexample, the user 150 may use the “what-if” inputs 270 to hypotheticallyswap a switch from a first vendor for a switch from another vendor. Theinvestment modeling application 220 can calculate the outputs based onthe adjusted input. The user 150 may compare the outputs for thedifferent vendor components to determine which vendor provides the morecost effective solution. Among other possible uses of sensitivityanalyses, the user 150 may utilize the sensitivity analyses to negotiatecomponent pricing with vendors.

The “what-if” inputs preferably can be used to adjust any parameter orcharacteristic of the representative model switches, including hardware,hardware capacity, traffic demands, and pricing characteristics.Examples of “what-if” inputs include, but are in no way limited to,hardware component discounts, vendor discounts, fill factors, componentutilization rates, and technology splits. One or more discounts may beapplied at any level of detail. For example, the user 150 may instructthe investment modeling application 220 to apply discounts to aparticular component, a group of components, all components from aspecific vendor, a type of component, a switch as a whole, all switchesof a particular type or technology, and/or across a network of switchingdevices.

Fill factors refer to definable component utilization rate thresholds.Fill factors may be defined and used to trigger notifications ofequipment utilization rates reaching the thresholds defined by the fillfactors. For example, a fill factor may be set to approximately aneighty percent utilization rate for a particular network component. Whenactual utilization of the component reaches the eighty-percentthreshold, notification may be provided that an additional componentshould be added to the relevant network or switch to increase capacityand to alleviate the utilization rate of the first component.

The investment modeling application 220 may be configured to processfill factors to adjust investment and demand outputs. For example, ifthe user 150 provides a “what-if” input 270 to decrease a particularfill factor threshold and instructs the investment modeling application220 to process inputs with the adjusted fill factor, the investment anddemand outputs will be weighted to reflect the adjusted fill factor. Insome cases, the decreased fill factor may result in increasedinvestments because the number of components may be increased to provideadditional capacity to keep utilization rates below the fill factor.

The user 150 may also input and/or adjust technology splits to be usedby the investment modeling application 220 to determine the weighteddemands 288 and the weighted investments 284. Technology splits refer todefinable ratios of different technologies that may be used to modelnetwork switching devices. In the context of the “what-if” inputs,hypothetical technology splits may be defined by the user 150. Thenetwork parameters 280 may also include technology splits descriptive ofactual ratios of technologies deployed in network switching devices.

A technology split may define a percentage of a particular technology tobe used in a switch. For example, a technology split may define atechnology mix of analog, TR008, and GR303 line terminations or atechnology mix of trunks for a particular switch under study. By way ofanother example, a technology split may define ratios of switch types tobe used in a particular network. Examples of how technology split inputsmay be used by the investment modeling application 220 to calculateweighted outputs will be described below.

The user 150 may apply network parameters 280 and “what-if” inputs 270(e.g., discounts, fill factors, utilization rates, technology splits,and other input adjustments) through the user interface 140, which mayinclude any mechanism useful for enabling the user 150 to provide andapply input adjustments. For example, the user interface 140 may providetabs or other actuators from which the user 150 may select to apply aninput adjustment. In other words, the “what-if” inputs 270 and/or thenetwork parameters 280 may be input to the system 200 through a userinterface, which may be provided by the investment modeling application220. An exemplary user interface 140 having, among other mechanisms, ageneral input tab will be described further below.

J. Investment Modeling Application

At a high level, the investment modeling application 220 may beconfigured to generate forward-looking weighted outputs by applyingnetwork parameters 280 and/or “what-if” inputs 270 to the representativemodel switch outputs generated by the switch modeling application 210.In particular, the investment modeling application 220 may be configuredto apply the network parameters 280 and/or the “what-if” inputs 270 tothe investment and demand outputs 240 and 244 generated by the switchmodeling application 210. This allows raw data produced by the switchmodeling application 210, and based on representative model switches, tobe applied to specific situations (e.g., specific network deployments)without having to re-generate equipment quantities and investments fromscratch for each specific input adjustment. In other words, the modelswitches provide foundational raw data that can be specifically adaptedto or weighted for different network and component specifications by theinvestment modeling application 220. Accordingly, sensitivity analysesand jurisdictional biasing can be performed quickly, without having toregenerate model switches for each input change.

The investment modeling application 220 may be configured to accept andprocess the demand outputs 244, the model investments 240, the networkparameters 280, and the “what-if” inputs 270 to generate the weighteddemands 288 and the weighted investments 284, as shown in FIG. 2. Ingeneral, the network parameters 280 and the “what-if” inputs 270 areapplied to the demand outputs 244 and the model investments 240 togenerate the outputs 288 and 284. Actual network characteristics (e.g.,switch type, configuration, and distribution) specified in the networkparameters 280 may be used to identify “best-fit” model switchesdescribed by the demand outputs 244 and the model investments 240. Thenetwork parameters 280 may then be applied to the “best-fit” modelswitches to produce the weighted outputs.

The demand outputs 244 and the model investments 240 may be processed ina variety of predefined ways to generate the weighted outputs. Forexample, the investment modeling application 220 may be configured toindependently weight different types of switches by switch technologies,technology mixes, operational characteristics (e.g., high CCS or lowCCS), and/or switch distributions.

With respect to host end office switches, for example, the investmentmodeling application 220 may be configured to weight the modelinvestments 240 configured with one hundred percent SONET synchronoustransport signal (“STS”) trunks with the model investments 240configured with one hundred percent electrical digital signal level one(“DS1”) trunks, at a percentage for each investment specified either inthe network parameters 280 or in the “what-if” inputs 270. The trunkmelded investments may be adjusted based on a percentage of linetermination technology mix (i.e., technology split) specified either inthe network parameters 280 or in the “what-if” inputs 270. For example,a percentage of analog, TR008, and GR303 line terminations may beapplied to the trunk melded investments. The technology meldedinvestments for both low CCS and high CCS office types may then beaggregated based on the number and distribution of host end officeswitches. The results may be aggregated to calculate total end officeinvestments by switch technology (e.g., 5ESS, DMS, and GTD-5).

For remote office switches, the investment modeling application 220 maybe configured to calculate remote office switch investments, by switchtype, based on technology mix and office distribution. The calculationis similar to the calculation for host end office described above,except that a trunk type adjustment is not used because remote officesgenerally do not have trunks. The model investments 240 for remoteoffice switches may be weighted based on a percentage of linetermination technology mix (e.g., analog, TR008, and GR303) specifiedeither in the network parameters 280 or in the “what-if” inputs 270. Thetechnology melded investments for both low CCS and high CCS office typesmay then be aggregated based on the number and distribution of remoteoffice switches. The results may be aggregated to calculate total remoteoffice investments by switch technology.

The aggregate results may be used to develop network specific (e.g.,jurisdiction specific) host and remote office switch discounted totaland unit investments, by switch technology. In particular, theinvestment modeling application 220 may be configured to adjust the hostand remote switch aggregate investments described above to match actualline and trunk termination quantities specified in the networkparameters 280. The investment modeling application 220 may then combine(e.g., sum) the adjusted host and remote switch investments fordifferent switch technologies (e.g., 5ESS, DMS, GTD-5) to form theweighted investments 284 for host and remote switch types.

For tandem and TOPS office switches, the investment modeling application220 may be configured to calculate tandem and TOPS office switchinvestments, by switch type, based on trunk mix and office distribution.The first step entails weighting the model investments 240 configuredwith one hundred percent SONET STS trunks with the model investments 240configured with one hundred percent electrical DS1 trunks, at apercentage for each investment specified either in the networkparameters 280 or in the “what-if” inputs 270. The calculations may thenbe aggregated based on the number and distribution of tandem and TOPSoffice switches.

The aggregate results may be used to develop network specific (e.g.,state specific) tandem and TOPS office switch discounted total and unitinvestments, by switch technology. In particular, the investmentmodeling application 220 may be configured to adjust the tandem and TOPSswitch aggregate investments described above to match trunk quantitiesspecified in the network parameters 280. The investment modelingapplication 220 may then combine (e.g., sum) the adjusted tandem andTOPS switch investments for different switch technologies (e.g., 5ESSand DMS tandem switches) to form the weighted investments 284 for tandemand TOPS switches.

The investment modeling application 220 may be configured to performsimilar processes to weight model investments 240 for other switchcomponents in order to generate weighted investments 284 for the switchcomponents. The weighting processes of the investment modelingapplication 220 may be configured to use the “what-if” inputs 270 incalculating the weighted outputs, thereby allowing the user 150 toconveniently provide different sets of inputs for comparison andsensitivity analyses.

K. Weighted Investments

The weighted investments 284 may include any information descriptive ofmodel switch investments as modified by one or more actualcharacteristics of a specific network (as contained in the networkparameters 280, for example) and/or by one or more “what-if” inputs 270.The weighted investments 284 may include total or unit investments forparticular types, technologies, and usage levels of switching devices,including the above-described aggregated and adjusted investments forhost, remote, tandem, and TOPS switches. The weighted investments 284may be in a form that is compatible with downstream applicationsconfigured to determine service costs.

Examples of weighted investments 284 may include, but are not limitedto, total investments for processors, processor peripherals, umbilicalterminations, line CCS, trunk CCS, trunk terminations, trunkterminations by trunk type (e.g., PRI trunks), line terminations, lineterminations by line type (e.g., GR303, analog, TR008, BRI, Coin), ISDNterminations (e.g., PRI and BRI ISDN terminations), multi-portconference components, SS7 signaling link terminations, andswitch-specific technologies (e.g., GTD-5, DMS, 5ESS). Weightedinvestments 284 may also include unit investments for the same itemslisted above. In addition, the weighted investments 284 may besegregated by switch technology and/or type. For example, any of theabove-listed items may be provided specifically for 5ESS switchtechnology investments, or specifically for tandem type switchinvestments.

The weighted investments 284 may also include summed or averaged modelinvestments 240 that may or may not have been weighted. In other words,any of the above-listed items may be provided in a summation form ratherthan a weighted form.

L. Weighted Demands

The weighted demands 288 may include any information descriptive ofmodel switch demands as modified by one or more actual characteristicsof a specific network (as contained in the network parameters 280, forexample) or by one or more “what-if” inputs 270. The weighted demands288 may include total or unit demands for particular types,technologies, and usage levels of switching devices, includingaggregated and adjusted demands for host, remote, tandem, and TOPSswitches. The weighted demands 288 may be in a form that is compatiblewith downstream applications configured to determine service costs.

Examples of weighted demands 288 may include, but are not limited to,total number of lines by line type and switch technology (e.g., 5ESS,DMS, GTD-5), average line CCS by switch technology, number of trunks byswitch technology, average trunk CCS by switch technology, averagenumber trunk calls by switch technology, number of remote umbilicals byswitch technology, average umbilical CCS by switch technology, andpercentages of line types by switch technology.

The weighted demands 288 may also include summed or averaged demandoutputs 244 that may or may not have been weighted. In other words, anyof the above-listed items may be provided in a summation form ratherthan a weighted form.

III. User-Interface View

The system 200 may be configured to provide various interactiveinterfaces to the user 150 via the user interface 140. Both the switchmodeling application 210 and the investment modeling application 220 mayprovide a variety of interactive interfaces. FIG. 3 illustrates anexemplary graphical user interface (“GUI”) 300 that the investmentmodeling application 220 may make available to the user 150. FIG. 3 isillustrative only; many other forms of graphical user interfaces may beprovided by the system 200.

As shown in FIG. 3, the GUI 300 may include tabs, or other mechanisms,configured to initiate predefined actions upon being selected by theuser 150. The exemplary GUI 300 includes a general input tab 310, adiscount input tab 315, a miscellaneous input tab 320, an officedistribution tab 325, a demand output tab 330, a demand comparison tab335, a 5ESS investments tab 340, a DMS investments tab 344, a GTD-5investments tab 348, a host mid-results tab 350, a remote mid-resultstab 355, a host and remote state results tab 360, a host and remotefinal results tab 365, a tandem and TOPS mid-results tab 370, a tandemand TOPS state results tab 375, and a tandem and TOPS final results tab380. Each of these tabs and their related functions will now bedescribed in detail.

The general input tab 310 generally functions as a link to the actualnetwork characteristics in the network parameters 280. The general inputtab 310 may be used to adjust or override the network parameters 280.For example, the user 150 may utilize the general input tab 310 tomodify any state-specific data contained in the network parameters 280.The general input tab 310 may also be used by the user 150 to provide,adjust, or override many of the “what-if” inputs 270. In general, theinvestment modeling application 220 will automatically integrate therevised inputs into calculations of the weighted outputs 284 and 288.

The discount input tab 315 may be used by the user 150 to input, adjust,or override investment discounts. In general, the investment modelingapplication 220 will automatically integrate the revised discount inputsinto calculations of the weighted outputs 284 and 288.

The miscellaneous input tab 320 may be used to provide, delete, oradjust other inputs to the investment modeling application 220. The tab320 may be configured as a catch-all for accepting any other inputs notcovered by the general input tab 310, the discount input tab 315, orother input tab. In general, the investment modeling application 220will automatically integrate the revised miscellaneous inputs intocalculations of the weighted outputs 284 and 288.

The office distribution tab 325 may include or function as a link to thenetwork parameters 280. The office distribution tab 325 may be used toaccess and modify the distribution of office switches defined in thenetwork parameters 280.

The demand output tab 330 may be used to initiate any of the weightingprocesses described above. For example, the demand output tab 330 may beused to initiate a weighting of the demand outputs 244 based on theoffice distribution for a particular network or state under study. Thetab 330 may also be used to weight the demand outputs 244 based ontechnology splits defined using the general input tab 310.

The demand comparison tab 335 may be selected to initiate a comparisonof the demand outputs 244 generated by the switch modeling application210 with data contained in the network parameters 280. In particular,the demand outputs 244 may be compared with actual networkcharacteristics specified in the network parameters 280.

The 5ESS investments tab 340 may be selected to present the modelinvestments 240 associated with 5ESS components for consideration by theuser 150. Similarly, the DMS investments tab 344 may be selected topresent the model investments 240 associated with DMS components forconsideration by the user 150, and the GTD-5 investments tab 348 may beselected to present the model investments 240 associated with GTD-5components for consideration by the user 150. Accordingly, the user 150is able to view model investments 240 by switch technology.

The host mid-results tab 350 may be selected to initiate calculation ofhost office investments, by switch type, based on trunk mix, technologymix, and office distribution. The calculation may be performed asdescribed above.

The remote mid-results tab 355 may be selected to initiate calculationof remote office investments, by switch type, based on technology mixand office distribution. The calculation may be performed as describedabove.

The host and remote state results tab 360 may be selected to initiatecalculation of state-specific discounted total and unit investments, byswitch type. The calculation may be performed as described above toapply the network parameters 280 and/or the “what-if” inputs 270 to themodel investments 240.

The host and remote final results tab 365 may be selected to initiate amelding together of calculated switch investments of the differentswitch technologies (e.g., 5ESS, DMS, GTD-5). The melding may beperformed by summing the investments calculated as a result of the hostand remote state results tab 360 being selected, as described above.

The tandem and TOPS mid-results tab 370 may be selected to initiatecalculation of tandem and TOPS office investments, by switch type, basedon trunk mix and office distribution. The calculation may be performedas described above.

The tandem and TOPS state results tab 375 may be selected to initiatecalculation of state-specific discounted total and unit investments, byswitch type. The calculation may be performed as described above toapply the network parameters 280 and/or the “what-if” inputs 270 to themodel investments 240.

The tandem and TOPS final results tab 380 may be selected to initiate amelding together of calculated switch investments of the differentswitch technologies (e.g., 5ESS and DMS). The melding may be performedby summing the investments calculated as a result of the tandem and TOPSstate results tab 375 being selected, as described above.

While FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary set of tabs that may be providedin the interactive interface 300, other embodiments may include a subsetof the tabs, or additional tabs other than those shown in FIG. 3. Forexample, tabs may be provided for dividing total investments by units ofdemand or capacity. The unit investments may include investmentsspecific to wholesale, retail, and/or access switch implementations. Byway of another example, a tab may be provided for initiating creation ofa data table listing all demand outputs 244 and/or demands specified inthe switch parameters 280. Another tab may be provided for identifyingany constants processed by the investment modeling application 220. Suchconstants may include information that does not vary by state ornetwork. Yet another tab may be provided for initiating formatting ofthe outputs of the investment modeling application 220 into suitableform for use as inputs to a downstream service cost application.

In addition, other embodiments of the interactive interface 300 mayinclude tabs or other control mechanisms related specifically to VoIPswitching and future telecommunication switching technologies. Tabs orother control mechanisms may also be provided for any switch vendor,type, or technology.

In conclusion, the above-described exemplary systems and methods providea robust, accurate, and user-friendly tool for modeling switchinginvestments. Because the systems and methods provide component-leveloutputs, the switch investments are highly usable for readilyillustrating the sources of investment calculations. Accordingly, userscan conveniently and confidently ascertain the accuracy of theinvestment calculations. Moreover, the systems and methods providemechanisms for summing and weighting model switch investments to tailorfoundational, representative model switches to specific networks. Thesystems and methods are also configured to accept and incorporate“what-if” inputs, thereby allowing users to perform sensitivity analysesfor hypothetical network and switch configurations. The representativemodel switches provide foundational models that can be weighted forspecific, actual and hypothetical, network configurations, withouthaving to re-generate equipment quantities and investments from scratchfor each input adjustment. Thus, the representative model offices can berepeatedly used as foundations for calculating specific and hypotheticaltelecommunication switch demands and investments. This providessignificant savings in man-hours and computer resources, while stillproviding a high level of accuracy. The systems and methods may beuseful for many applications related to telecommunication switches,including, but not limited to, network switch design, network partsprocurement, and governmental regulatory filings.

IV. Alternative Embodiments

The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate anddescribe embodiments of the invention. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to any precise form disclosed. Theinvention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically explained andillustrated without departing from its spirit or scope. It is intendedthat the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining, using atelecommunication switch modeling application comprising at least onecomputing device, a plurality of equipment quantities having capacity tosatisfy a plurality of switch design parameters descriptive of at leastone model telecommunication switch; calculating, using the application,a plurality of model investments associated with said plurality ofequipment quantities; weighting, using a telecommunication switchinvestment modeling application comprising at least one computingdevice, said plurality of model investments in accordance with at leastone of a network parameter descriptive of an actual telecommunicationswitch under study and a “what-if” input descriptive of atelecommunication switch configuration used by said investment modelingapplication to adjust, override, supplement, and redact other inputs tosaid investment modeling application, said weighting to form a pluralityof weighted investments comprising said plurality of model investmentsmodified according to said at least one of the actual telecommunicationswitch and the “what-if” telecommunication switch configuration; and,further comprising weighting said plurality of model investments inaccordance with at least one of a second network parameter descriptiveof a second actual telecommunication switch and a second “what-if” inputdescriptive of a second telecommunication switch configuration, withoutre-determining said plurality of equipment quantities or recalculatingsaid plurality of model investments.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining a plurality of model demands descriptive ofcapacities associated with said plurality of equipment quantities; andweighting said plurality of model demands in accordance with at leastone of said network parameter descriptive of the actualtelecommunication switch and said “what-if” input descriptive of thetelecommunication switch configuration to form a plurality of weighteddemands that is specific to at least one of the actual telecommunicationswitch and the “what-if” telecommunication switch configuration.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said determining step includes applying aplurality of predefined, capacity-driven modeling heuristics to saidplurality of switch design parameters to determine said plurality ofequipment quantities.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprisinggrouping said plurality of model investments into a plurality ofcategories, each of said categories being associated with a differenthardware-related function of the at least one model telecommunicationswitch.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising making at least oneof said plurality of equipment quantities and said plurality of modelinvestments available to a user at a hardware component level.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said “what-if” input includes at least one ofa hardware component discount, a fill factor, and a technology split. 7.The method of claim 1, further comprising describing said at least onemodel telecommunication switch according to said plurality of switchdesign parameters, said switch design parameters including at least oneof a switch technology, a switch application, a switch type, a processortype, a line quantity, a line technology, a trunk quantity, a trunktechnology, an average busy hour usage, and a vendor oftelecommunication equipment.
 8. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising: identifying switch component capacities to satisfy saidswitch design parameters using said modeling heuristics; and selectingappropriate quantities of switch components that provide said switchcomponent capacities.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one ofsaid switch component capacities is defined according to one of a portutilization rate, a processor utilization rate, and a number of busyhour centum call seconds.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein calculatingequipment quantities includes determining a list of switch componentsalong with their corresponding quantities.
 11. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving a master parts list including indicationsof switch components and corresponding prices associated with saidswitch components by said telecommunication switch modeling application;and calculating said plurality of model investments associated with saidplurality of equipment quantities using said telecommunication switchmodeling application based on said calculated equipment quantities andsaid corresponding prices.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprisingincluding at least one of total investments and unit investments in saidweighted investments according to at least one of switch type, switchtechnology, and switching device usage level.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein said weighted investments include at least one of investmentsfor: processors, processor peripherals, umbilical terminations, linecentum call seconds, trunk centum call seconds, trunk terminations,trunk terminations by trunk type, line terminations, line terminationsby line type, integrated services digital network terminations,multi-port conference components, signaling system seven signaling linkterminations, and switch-specific technologies.
 14. The method of claim2, wherein said weighted demands include at least one of total number oflines by line type and switch technology, average line centum callseconds by switch technology, number of trunks by switch technology,average trunk centum call seconds by switch technology, average numbertrunk calls by switch technology, number of remote umbilicals by switchtechnology, average umbilical centum call seconds by switch technology,and percentages of line types by switch technology.
 15. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said “what-if” input is configured to cause saidtelecommunication switch investment modeling application to swap a modeltelecommunication switch from a first vendor for a modeltelecommunication switch from another vendor.
 16. The method of claim 1,wherein said network parameter indicates an actual number of lines ofsaid actual telecommunication switch under study and is configured tocause said telecommunication switch investment modeling application toadjust a range of line quantities described by said at least one modeltelecommunication switch in accordance with said actual number of lines.